Out of all the different social media, erm, apps (?) Instagram has to be my favourite of all. It doesn't limit me to 140 characters - which is something I struggle with on the daily #firstworldprobs - and it doesn't require me to record myself being interesting on the spot a la Snapchat (which FYI, I only use for taking double chin selfies and videos of the cats). But Instagram? Oh. Well. That little guy is my digital baby. Well, okay this blog is my digital baby, so I guess Instagram is my second digital baby that's constantly in competition with my blog. I have no idea where I'm going with this.

Okay, so we're all very aware that I love Instagram, and - just like everything else in the digital world - having followers is always good fun. Now obviously I'll put the usual disclaimer out there that followers shouldn't be the be all and end all to social media. But hey. gaining some followers here and there is a nice feeling. Unless it's the type of follower that's actually a creepy spammy porn account called sexygirlswithboobs69. That sort of follower can back off. I swear I can never write anything without being semi-awkward. Gah. I always start off so (okay, maybe remotely) well, then bam. Awkward turtle.

So here we are two paragraphs in and I'm still yet to let you all in on the mystical secrets of how to gain more followers. Well my friends, as always with all of my tips on here, it's a lot more simple that you'd probably think. And better yet is there's no spamming, no like for likes, no share for shares, nothing. Just a bit of honest grafting and lots of holding your phone/camera up really really high in the air. What am I talking about? Let's go straight to the first step..

From Where I Stand photos are the one

I'm not sure what I mean by 'the one' but I do know that - after doing my own bit of research - photos of people snapping their outfits from above (more commonly known as #FromWhereIStand pictures) get a crap ton of likes. Why? I have no clue. But if you look on all of the top fashion blogger accounts their FWIS pictures are usually some of the most liked. Now I know, I know, we don't all have perfect white floors or arms that spam around 8ft, but here's a little trick if you're trying to work out how to do it.

First, get a big piece of white card or a white sheet (or whatever colour you want!). Then whilst you're in your outfit of choice stand in the centre and stick your ass out. No, seriously. Stick your ass out like you've never stuck your ass out before. You'll look 100% doing it and you'll probably pull a muscle the first few times, but that's the price us girls pay for Instagram perfection. It helps to scatter around a few pretty items around you, like a bag or magazine, but feel free to hold something in your free hand as well. Or don't. Whatever. Either way make sure that - when you're taking the photo - your thinking about dat Instagram square. So if your taking your picture in landscape format, envisage the square. Be the square..

Post regularly, but not too regularly

I like to post at least once a day, just so the world knows that I still exist on the internet. But I know for some people posting around four times a day works for them. Personally I don't think I could manage posting that many photos each day, purely because I'm so uptight when it comes to what I post that I'd probably have a nervous breakdown on the third picture. Basically, you want to make sure that you post on a fairly regular schedule so that you followers know when to expect your snaps. Obviously it doesn't need to be to the minute (or even hour) but as long as your followers have some idea when to expect your content then you're all good in the hood. Like I said though, don't fully overwhelm your followers with twenty pictures a day, because that can get kinda spammy. If you've got millions of followers, go for it. But if you're just starting out maybe keep it on the D-L. Unless every single one of your pictures is of a cute cat or something. In that case, send them my way.

Use hashtags, but don't go overboard

This is pretty much an ongoing rule with anything to do with the internets. Rule #1 of the WWW. No spamming. But alas, hashtags are there to be used, so we may as well do just that. I tend to use the more obscure (but still popular!) hashtags to help get various posts noticed. For example, using #Fashion is great and everything, but everyone uses it, so you'll be lost in a crowd of millions. Instead, go for something used less often like #UKFashionBlog or something. I like to insert my hashtags at the end of my captions, because, well, Instagram OCD.

Communicate with each other

I've said it before and I'll say it again. The key to social media is in the name: actually be social. Be nice to one another like you would be on the street, be polite, talk to people you share interests with, get involved with the conversations and meet new people! Sure, doing follow for follows will work, but all you'll end up with is a big audience that doesn't engage with what you have to say or post. And what use is that!? It's the Instagram equivalent of poking someone on Facebook. Kinda.

Do your best

This goes for pretty much everything and anything you should do in life, because hey, why half ass something!? For me, I like to make sure my images are the best quality possible, so whenever I'm at home I use my camera to snap the pics and upload them through Dropbox. Then again, you're talking to the girl that has biscuit crumbs in her phone camera. Note for all: Biscuit crumbs do not look great as an overlay to all phone pictures. Let it be known. As we all do with the interwebs, try to be the best version of yourself. Be positive, be inspiring and - most importantly - be nice. Your images might not be the best, but if you communicate well with other people in your network you'll gain followers in no time. But seriously, try to make sure you don't get biscuit crumbs in your camera. Why can I never end a blog post successfully?